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How did you choose your target language? | ||
Tags: Choosing a Language | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| administrator Hexaglot Forum Admin Switzerland FXcuisine.com Joined 7376 days ago 3094 posts - 2987 votes  12 sounds Speaks: French*, EnglishC2, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian Personal Language Map | Message 1 of 141 28 January 2005 at 12:41am | IP Logged | ||
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What factors did you consider when choosing the language you are studying? Usefulness? Career? Personal fascination for the language? Because it was easy or very challenging? To travel?
8 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Malcolm Triglot Retired Moderator Senior Member Korea, South Joined 7315 days ago 500 posts - 515 votes 5 sounds Speaks: English*, Spanish, Korean Studies: Mandarin, Japanese, Latin | Message 2 of 141 28 January 2005 at 3:28am | IP Logged | ||
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I chose my target languages based on the language reviews on your website (the old one). Usefulness is the most important factor for me, followed by the "chic" factor, then difficulty. If the difficulty outweighs the usefulness and "chic", then it's not worth learning in my opinion.
Most of the people I know who have tried to learn languages (other than French or Spanish) end up failing because they don't know all the factors associated with each language, and thus make a poor selection. I think the list of languages on this site really helps, but it's seriously missing some major languages, namely Japanese, Hindi, and Arabic. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| administrator Hexaglot Forum Admin Switzerland FXcuisine.com Joined 7376 days ago 3094 posts - 2987 votes 12 sounds Speaks: French*, EnglishC2, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian Personal Language Map | Message 3 of 141 28 January 2005 at 4:06am | IP Logged | ||
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Malcolm, I'm so happy to hear my website helped you choose your target language - this is what it was for, but see that people actually do it is so encouraging!
For the language reviews, I could not agree more. Presently I am busy doing an complete overhaul of this section. The problem I have is that it takes time and knowledge of the languages. I did study some Hindi when I was 16 so this I could probably make a good review, but for Japanese and Arabic help is needed to make a good review. If you or any reader feels like participating in writing or improving a language review please let me know. I will use the forum to ask questions about languages I am reviewing. So far Ardaschir has provided invaluable help for the overhaul of the Korean review. 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| kidnickels Triglot Senior Member United States Joined 7250 days ago 124 posts - 119 votes Speaks: English*, SpanishB1, French Studies: Mandarin | Message 4 of 141 28 January 2005 at 1:37pm | IP Logged | ||
I'm working on Spanish right now - gotta love languages with three past tenses (or four, if you count the past subjunctive) - as it's the primary second language spoken in my industry. It's also easy to practice with a large population of immigrants from Latin America in the area where I live, and my experience with other Romance languages has made acquiring it easier. Next up I'll probably do an obscure language just for fun. I find that it's good to hop around language families or sub-families so that one language doesn't run into the next. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| victor Tetraglot Moderator United States Joined 7318 days ago 1098 posts - 1056 votes 6 sounds Speaks: Cantonese*, English, FrenchC1, Mandarin Studies: Spanish Personal Language Map | Message 5 of 141 28 January 2005 at 3:49pm | IP Logged | ||
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I am fascinated by any foreign language, similar to Farber. Languages were something cool for me to learn. I used to live in Asia and Japan seems to be the country that influences the place a lot. I learned many phrases, but I dropped it because I didn't have the instruction I needed. But I'm definitely picking it up again in the future.
When I was 8 I played around with this CD-ROM (FX, I remember you suggesting this in one of your sections) which introduces kids to major languages. I knew French was going to be studied the next year, so I tried the program for the language. I used to love making exaggerated French "r" sounds, to my opinion, really sounds like trying to get rid of the stuff in your throat. I just think this is partly the reason why I was able to get an accent that was close to native. I did well in French in school and that kept my interests up. I'm thinking of learning German next. It's really weird; I don't know why I want to learn it, but I know I do. As for the reviews on the site, I would say that they're invaluable, FX. You have just done a wonderful job and I like the format especially. I just jump every time you call Chinese dialects "languages". 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| manna Groupie Kyrgyzstan Joined 7258 days ago 94 posts - 112 votes | Message 6 of 141 28 January 2005 at 5:09pm | IP Logged | ||
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Having made friends from other countries than mine and becoming interested in their culture - well language just follows, I guess.
1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| jtmc18 Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 7245 days ago 119 posts - 140 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish | Message 7 of 141 31 January 2005 at 4:54pm | IP Logged | ||
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Spanish seemed like the most practical language for me. I have lived in California, Washington State, and Florida, and have encountered Spanish just about everywhere. Some jobs now require Spanish as a prerequisite for employment.
If I were going to choose a language based on global practicalities, I would choose Arabic or Chinese. If I were to choose one just for liking it, it would be Italian for me. It's my goal to learn at least two other languages (besides my own and the one I'm learning), but I haven't decided which two yet... 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| hokusai77 Triglot Senior Member Italy Joined 7152 days ago 212 posts - 217 votes 1 sounds Speaks: Italian*, FrenchB1, EnglishC1 Studies: GermanB1, Japanese | Message 8 of 141 26 April 2005 at 2:59pm | IP Logged | ||
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English, of course, was the first language I took up, because I had to! I had the chance to have an English-mother tongue teacher, who really made me love it.
What I like best of English is its pronunciation, especially the Standard British accent, and its rhythm. French was my second choice, for several reasons: 1. it's still widely taught in Italy 2. My parents are particularly fond of France and French culture, and they can speak it quite fluently 3. I've got some relatives who live in Lyon 4. France is the nearest country from where I live (Turin, Northern Italy) I also took up German, Spanish and Russian during my high school years, but I never reached fluency, partly because I lacked a good study method, and partly because I tried to learn them at the same time. I can now read both Spanish and German, but I'm not very good at speaking them. At university, I discovered my third "enduring" passion: Japanese. I am now in the process of learning it, devoting all my spare time, and I hope to become fluent in two-three years' time. Why did I go for it? Well, Japan is doubtless a fascinating country, and learning a totally different language proved to be very stimulating. I love the Japanese script and its sounds. But what fascinates me the most is the culture a language represents. I certainly would go for minor ones, simply because I could find their cultural inheritage rich or intriguing. But I have to master Japanese, before! lol 2 persons have voted this message useful |
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